(a) Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure of invention relates to a display device. In detail, the present invention relates to a display device including a gate lines driver having a novel configuration.
(b) Description of Related Technology
In general, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or another such panel type display device includes a display area that is populated by a matrix of pixel units which are the unit cells used for displaying a desired image. Additionally, the display includes a set of driver circuits for addressing and driving the pixel units. The driver units typically include a data lines driver configured for applying respective data voltages to columns of the pixel units by way of respective data lines and a gate lines driver configured for applying respective gate signals to rows of the pixel units by way of respective gate lines where the combination row selection and data lines driving may be used for selectively controlling the transfer of the data voltages to desired ones of the pixel units. In one class of embodiments, one or both of the gate lines driver and the data lines driver are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) in the form of one or more monolithically integrated circuit chips that are connected a flexible interconnect film to the display panel and its on-panel pixel units. In a same or alternate class of embodiments, at least the gate lines driver is provided in the form of one or more monolithically integrated circuit chips that are mounted directly on the display panel. In yet another class of embodiments, at least the gate lines driver is provided in the form of monolithically integrated circuitry that is integrated directly in the display panel without use of discrete IC chips. In the case where at least the gate lines driver is provided in the form of monolithically integrated, on-panel circuitry, the gate lines driver circuitry consumes part of the area of the panel that also supports the display area (DA) and its unit pixel cells. Recently, market forces have begun calling for mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) horizontal display areas that extend substantially over the whole of the display panel while allowing for only a relatively small peripheral area positioned near and surrounding the display area. It has therefore become undesirable to have a panel with a peripheral area that is too large, and thus the class of embodiments having at least the gate lines driver provided in the form of monolithically integrated circuitry that is integrated directly in the peripheral area of the display panel has begun to fall out of favor.
Also, in another class of embodiments, for example large-area TV monitors and the like, there has been a trend for form the large area device by tiling together a plurality of smaller panels. There too, market forces favor a panel with a very small peripheral area positioned near and surrounding the display area and thus the class of embodiments having at least the gate lines driver provided in the form of monolithically integrated circuitry that is integrated directly in the peripheral area of the display panel has begun to fall out of favor.
In its details, the typical gate lines driver includes a shift register circuit constituted by a plurality of alike shift register stages which are connected in cascade manner and operate interdependently and in synchronism signals provided to them by a plurality of signal lines extending adjacent to the stages. In yet more detail, each of the stages is connected to drive a corresponding one gate line and the plurality of stages are interconnected so as to output their respective gate signals to the respective gate lines sequentially according to a predetermined order.
It is to be understood that this background of the technology section is intended to provide useful background for understanding the here disclosed technology and as such, the technology background section may include ideas, concepts or recognitions that were not part of what was known or appreciated by those skilled in the pertinent art prior to corresponding invention dates of subject matter disclosed herein.